Reaction from Nats clubhouse

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Benches and bullpens emptied after Chris Volstad threw behind Nyjer Morgan.

MIAMI — There was obviously plenty of reaction from the Nationals clubhouse after tonight's bench-clearing brawl. I'll present a full account with my thoughts in a little bit, but there's so much material that probably won't make it in, I wanted to present it all for everyone to read and digest.

Here's a wide sampling of what was said afterward...

NYJER MORGAN
What was your reaction to getting hit the first time?
"We police it. It was a hard play yesterday. I understand they had to get me back a little bit. It's part of the game. I'm hard player. I'm going out there and just playing the game. I guess they took it the wrong way. He hit me the first time, so be it. But he hit two other of our guys? Alright, cool. But then he whips another one behind me, we got to go. I'm just sticking up for myself and just defending my teammates. I'm just going out there and doing what I have to do."

What did you think when he threw at you the second time?
"That was garbage. That's just bad baseball. It's only the fourth inning. If they're going to hold me on, I'm going to roll out. The circumstances were kind of out of whack, but the game was too early.

Dibble done broadcasting Nats

Updated at 6:37 p.m.

MIAMI — Rob Dibble will no longer be broadcasting Nationals games on MASN, a club spokesman said this afternoon.

The former Reds reliever, who signed a three-year contract with MASN in 2009, has not called any games since last Tuesday, when comments he made on his Sirius XM radio show about Stephen Strasburg generated controversy. According to a MASN spokesman at the time, Dibble requested time off. He hasn't returned to the booth since, with Ray Knight filling as as analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Bob Carpenter.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the Dibble decision was made by the Nationals, not MASN.

The Nats spokesman said the club wouldn't have any other comment on Dibble's permanent departure. MASN spokesman Todd Webster declined to comment. Dibble didn't immediately respond to a message left for him.

Knight, who along with the rest of MASN's broadcast team was informed of Dibble's departure late this afternoon, will be covering the rest of the club's road trip through the weekend in Pittsburgh. He said he hasn't been told whether he'll continue game broadcasts after

Game 134: Nats at Marlins

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Danny Espinosa and Wilson Ramos will be uniform for the series finale at Sun Life Stadium.

MIAMI — Nyjer Morgan is leading off for the Nationals tonight, moved back to the top spot after three games in the 8-hole and after last night's controversial collision at the plate with Marlins catcher Brett Hayes. Chris Volstad starts tonight for Florida; I'd tune in before 7:10 p.m. to see where his first pitch goes. (Hayes, by the way, is reportedly going to be out seven to 10 days.)

The bigger surprise, though, is that Ryan Zimmerman is not in the Nationals' lineup. Zim has been given a very rare day off, something Jim Riggleman has talked about doing and did with Adam Dunn not long ago.

No Danny Espinosa or Wilson Ramos in the lineup tonight, either. I would suspect Espinosa will start Friday night in Pittsburgh, and I would suspect Ramos will get a start sometime during that weekend series as well.

Check back for updates throughout the evening...

NATIONALS at MARLINS
Where: Sun Life Stadium
Gametime: 7:10 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: WFED-1500 AM, WWFD-820 AM
Weather: Partly cloudy, 85 degrees, Wind 17 mph in from RF

STARTING LINEUPS
NATIONALS (57-76)
CF Nyjer Morgan
SS Ian Desmond
LF Roger Bernadina
1B Adam Dunn

Espinosa, Ramos up tonight

For an updated story on the call-ups, including quotes from Danny Espinosa and Mike Rizzo, go to CSNwashington.com.

MIAMI — Danny Espinosa and Wilson Ramos will make up the first wave of September call-ups and will be in uniform tonight for the Nationals' series finale against the Marlins.

Espinosa, one of the best all-around infielders in the minor leagues this season, will have his contract purchased from Class AAA Syracuse. (Stephen Strasburg can be placed on the 60-day DL to make room for him.) Ramos, who wa already on the 40-man roster, is being recalled from Syracuse.

General manager Mike Rizzo had said earlier this week he didn't plan to make any September call-ups until the Chiefs' season ends on Monday, but the two players were told last night of their promotions and are en route to Miami today.

Espinosa, a 23-year-old switch-hitter, has been on fire at the plate in Syracuse, posting a .359 average (14-for-39) with four walks, three RBI and five runs scored over his last 10 games. In 123 combined games this season with Syracuse and Class AA Harrisburg, he's hitting .268 with 22 homers, 69 RBI and 25 stolen bases. As of last week, he

9 brilliant innings, then a wild 10th

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Jordan Zimmermann dominated for six innings but became an afterthought.

MIAMI — Before we get to anything else, this point needs to be made: Jordan Zimmermann pitched a fantastic ballgame tonight, and nothing else that happened at Sun Life Stadium matters as much to the Nationals in the big picture.

Yes, there was plenty of intrigue to what turned into a 1-0, 10-inning loss to the Marlins, with Nyjer Morgan once again front-and-center in a controversial collision at the plate. And we'll get to that in a moment. But in the long run, tonight's 10th inning matters far less than Zimmermann's six innings of pitching brilliance, the latest (and most emphatic) statement that the 24-year-old right-hander is all the way back from Tommy John surgery.

The Nationals have played 133 games now this season, and there's little question about which performance by a starting pitcher was best: Stephen Strasburg's 14-strikeout debut against the Pirates. But you know what? Zimmermann's start tonight was only a small tick below it. And if not for the innings and pitch-count restrictions the Nats have placed on him, he might well have gone the distance and actually surpassed Strasburg's performance.

Over his six innings, Zimmermann faced 18 Marlins batters. That's the bare minimum he could have faced over six innings. The only one to reach base against him: Gaby Sanchez, who doubled to lead off the second, then was subsequently gunned down trying to tag up to third. So that means of the 86 pitches Zimmermann threw tonight, only five